The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera has always been a camera with its challenges: Short battery life, unusable internal audio and of course the form factor. While the last point is a hot discussed topic because some filmmakers prefer it small and other like to fully rig the little beast.
We didn’t get the BMPCC because of its small size but because of the filmic look and the image quality it produces. So we got a complete kit by CAMTREE a couple of months ago. The kit includes two rods, a cheese plate with V-mount power supply, an amp box (A-Box) and a cage for the camera. The kit made out of aluminum with some wooden parts is currently priced at USD 447.
You can watch the complete video review below:
The Camtree Hunt cage kit is ideal for filmmakers who need a small rig that can be set up fast.
The audio quality improves hugely due to the A-Box that has two XLR inputs although they are not phantom powered. In a lot of cases we need to work with a XLR signal which was not possible before because the BMPCC only has a 3.5mm audio input. The sound is clear and has almost no hiss. You can use both channels which is ideal when using a stereo microphone like RØDE Stereo VideoMic X.
The kit includes two 15mm rods as well as a 19mm adapter. A rod mount/adapter can be mounted below the cage with a quick release mechanism to be able to get the cage off the rig fast for hand-held shots. All included parts can be mounted onto the rods.
Recording for more than 25 minutes is almost impossible when using the original Blackmagic Design battery. The V-mount power supply mounted at the back of the rig is a great solution to avoid the camera from shutting off during shots. Depending on which battery is being used you can shoot for a couple of hours or even a whole day. Of course those batteries (for example from Anton Bauer or Bebob) are not cheap but are definitely worth investing in because you can use them with all sorts of cameras and other gear. The picture bellows just shows the V-mount plate without any battery.
The cage feels comfortable in the hand mainly because of the wooden grip on the right side. The top handle is party made out of wood as you can see below. In the front of the handle are two hot shoe mounts to mount accessories like a microphone or a monitor. To protect HDMI cables and to avoid damage a dedicated clamp can be mounted in front of the Micro HDMI input of the camera cage.
The left and back side is open as well as the area where the record and playback buttons are located. We are using a Metabones Speed Booster adapter for our Canon EF lenses which perfectly fits onto the front of the camera. We tried another adapter which also fit.
The kit weighs 11lb (2.2kg) without the camera, lens, accessories etc.
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You can order the Camtree Hunt BMPCC kit cage HERE on TheCineCity’s website for $447.
Written by Moritz Janisch